As part of the BTHA’s work to understand the environmental impact of toys, we have conducted a series of consumer surveys to understand the life of a toy. These surveys explored what parents do with toys when their children have finished playing with them or outgrown them, and the main influencing factors.
The first survey was completed in 2012 (both quantitative and qualitative) and then a follow up in 2019 (quantitative only). Both surveys were completed by Illuminas.
In 2024, the BTHA worked with YouGov to survey 2,026 parents of children aged six months to nine years old to see if there had been any change in consumer behaviour since the previous surveys. Fieldwork was undertaken between 30th August and 10th September 2024. The survey was carried out online. The figures have been weighted.
Headline findings:
- Parents are most likely to pass their toys on to external groups or organisations with 64% of parents giving to charity, followed by 53% of parents passing them on to friends and family.
- The main reasons for passing on toys were for other children to enjoy (73%), to clear space (68%), because they are usually in great condition (59%), and to help out other people less fortunate than myself (55%). The ranking of reasonings mirrors the 2019 survey.
- The types of toys most likely to be passed on are games/puzzles (65%), pre-school toys for children under five years old (64%) and vehicles (62%).
- The age groups suitability of toys passed on were pre-school (67%), 5 to 9 years (57%), babies 0-2 years (50%). This mirrors our 2019 survey.
- The toys most likely to be passed on were of the value of £11-£25 (41%), £5-10 (37%), £26-£50 (27%).
- Throwing away toys is becoming less common with 14% of parents throwing away toys (down from 26% in 2012). The main reason is because they are broken (73%) and therefore cannot be passed on. Throwing away toys is more common with men, than women.
- Parents said they would pass on toys more regularly if there was easy access to facilities that accept used toys for reuse or recycling (52%), and more information on where and how to pass toys on (35%).
- Parents were most influenced to pass on toys by family and friends (48%), charity (39%), and schools/playgroups (30%). Celebrities and influencers were the least likely to influence parents (3%).
- A large proportion of children received second-hand toys with 79% of parents saying their children had received second-hand toys from others. For those that had received second-hand toys, 28% said their child had received second-hand toys more than five times in the previous 12 months.
- Children who received second-hand toys were most likely to receive them from family including siblings, grandparents, parents, and other family members (66%), friends (50%), and charity (28%). They were least likely to have received these toys from online rental platforms (2%) and toy libraries (3%).
You can view and download the full results here or via the environmental page where the previous survey results are published.
